The UCA Faculty Senate focused its Thursday meeting on addressing several concerns brought to them at faculty meetings late last month.
Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Rita Fleming addressed the faculty concerns about fringe benefits. Fleming distributed information that compared this year and next year?s premiums.
Premiums QualChoice?s point-of-service medical insurance will increase by five percent. Fleming noted that faculty and staff will have the option to select the QualChoice HMO plan which will only increase premiums by 1.8 percent, but in exchange for the lesser increase, employees will not be covered if they go out of network.
?The only difference in the plans is that with the point-of-service you will have some coverage if you go out of network, but you cannot go out of network with the HMO,? Fleming said.
Dental insurance premiums with Blue Cross/Blue Shield will rise nine percent.
Another concern brought to the senate was safety for pedestrians along Western Ave. Faculty Senate President Sondra Gordy announced that the university will soon install a sidewalk along the street.
Several other concerns were distributed among faculty senate and university standing committees.
Provost Gabriel Esteban addressed the faculty senate about concerns with an upcoming UCA Board of Trustees resolution that would establish an Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action.
Esteban expressed concern over the number of complaints about harassment and discrimination had reached his office. He said the Council of Deans had been looking at establishing an office to address those concerns for some time.
Esteban said the office would require little start-up costs as no new administrators would be hired. Instead, Dr. Willie Hardin would divide his time between development duties and recruiting a diverse workforce for the university; Jack Gillean, vice president of university relations, would continue to investigate sexual harassment and discrimination complaints and a new employee who had already been hired in the Division of Student Services would conduct sexual harassment and sensitivity training for faculty and staff.
Esteban said the only costs he expected for the office would be a travel budget for Dr. Willie Hardin.
Several faculty senators expressed misgivings about the need for such an office. After learning that processes to investigate harassment complaints were already in place and would remain the same, Senator Don Bradley asked, ?Why not leave things like they are??
Senator Phillip Anderson cited examples from other universities where the establishment of such an office has led to ?serious consequences of the rights of people.?
?I don?t think the bureaucratic structuring of this is the right answer,? Anderson said.
Senator Don Whistler concurred, ?I think this will have a chilling effect on academic freedom.?
Senator Lorrie George said she would rather see a policy change than the establishment of a new office.
Senator Bradley asked the senate to hold a special meeting next Tuesday to continue the discussion and vote on a recommendation that Esteban could use in revising his proposal that will go before the board of trustees on Oct. 8. The senate agreed to hold a special meeting next Tuesday at 12:45 p.m. in BBA 220.
-Jennifer Boyett
